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Obtaining a driver license with a suspended or revoked out-of-state license

If your driving privilege is suspended or revoked in another state, but you have not been convicted of a violation that requires mandatory suspension or revocation in Wisconsin, you must contact the state(s) in which your driving privilege is suspended or revoked and reinstate it in that state(s). You may then apply for a Wisconsin driver license.

What to do if you have an operating while intoxicated (OWI) conviction

If you apply for a Wisconsin driver license and have an OWI-type conviction in another state, in accordance with Wisconsin law you may have to provide proof that you have undergone an assessment and completed an alcohol program. This law applies even if you have met all the requirements in the state where you were convicted of OWI. Contact the Alcohol/Drug Review Unit at (608) 261-8202 for further information.

Actions based on information you provide

Occasionally, persons who move to Wisconsin receive a Wisconsin driver license and subsequently have their license suspended or revoked because of a conviction in another state for a serious offense such as attempting to elude an officer, an OWI or drug-related conviction.

This may occur because at the time you completed the application for your Wisconsin driver license, perhaps you did not tell the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) about the conviction. It is also possible that the information about the conviction was not available to WisDOT. WisDOT can only act upon what it knows and what it is told at the time you applied for your Wisconsin driver license.

Questions? Contact us: Wisconsin DMV email service
Call: (608) 266-2353

Last modified: August 30, 2011
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